Refrigerator Envy Ina Garten Style

Last fall I was seduced by Ina Garten’s refrigerator. It had been coming on for a long time. Everytime she opened the door of her side-by-side it was a tease. After midnight one autumnal night leading up to Thanksgiving I weakened and succumbed to what I had been envying for so long … organizational nirvana . There they were – statuesque opaque quart sized containers, all matching, lids locked in place, stackable, reusable. It doesn’t get much better than this, my friends.Add to it that her frig contained only the food for that particular recipe and segment and I was a gonner! Sure, I knew it was staged but it didn’t matter. I wanted Ina’s plastic containers with the little ridges around the rim. Ina even makes the chore of packing picnics to take to the beach look romantic with these containers! Or at least in my organizational world it does.

My local Thai restaurant carries them. They are great and lock so tight you almost need a bottle opener to pry them open. For awhile there I was ordering Tom Yum a little too frequently so I decided to research and find my own bulk supply.

I found mine at WEBstaurant Store. The common name for these containers are called Deli-tainers. A pack of 24 sells for $5.99

I also bought the lids (yes, they are separate). They come 60 to a set for $4.99. At first I thought, wow, 60! But you know how it is. The lids are the first to mysteriously disappear and if one cracks you have back up.

Last Thanksgiving I put everything in them, all my chopped prep and stacked them according to recipes. For left overs I sent containers home with family (there are also smaller containers available) not worrying about finding the right size or if I was ever going to see my Tupperware again. It made pre-dinner planning and graciously doled out left-overs a snap to hand out.

When the big box arrives a couple days after you order you might open it and think, 24 containers are a lot more than I thought it would be but you’ll be surprised how quickly they will dwindle down if you entertain often, make soup or spaghetti sauce to freeze, or host a soup swap. I also use them to hold all my icings for cookies and cupcakes and being opaque it lets me see the colors at a glance.

With the picnic and BBQ-ing season beginning next month I thought planning to be organized would be good place to start.

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Comments

The enchanted home says:

Apr 27, 2011 at 10:19 am

So funny…..I literally have an entire cabinet of these wonderful little goodies. I buy sauce from a wonderful Italian specialty store nearby like its like (as in about 3 or 4 quarts a week) and they come in these handy little containters so you can imagine how many I have….they are great for storage of all kinds and I sure do make use of them but sadly my fridge does not come close to resembling Ina’s…may you have better luck!
Formerly known as Frau says:

Apr 27, 2011 at 11:33 am

Brillant I’m ordering some too! My tupperwear is a nightmare and I never have the matching lids!
High Heeled Life says:

Apr 27, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Just popped over to the website, WOW!!! what a wonderful spot you have shared… these are great!!xo HHL
Town and Country Mom says:

Apr 27, 2011 at 3:02 pm

Oh, you are killing me. Ina’s fridge is ridiculous, but I so love it when my own is “staged.” That lasts about 10 minutes around here. Still. I do want some of those containers–do they come square-shaped also? That would be too good.
Diamonds in The Morning says:

Apr 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm

My Muse, My Marilyn!
Miss Sweet Tea says:

Apr 30, 2011 at 3:12 am

I so need these! I only have 2 tupperware containers, the rest have mysteriously disappeared!

Have a GREAT weekend!